COMPANY NEWS

NICK PERCAT CLIPSAL 500 PREVIEW

I spent the last couple weeks of December visiting my sponsors and thanking everyone for the year, including everyone at Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport. We had one last big team dinner before I headed back to my hometown of Adelaide, where I stayed with my parents for three weeks.

This is the most time I’ve spent in Adelaide for six or seven years. Growing up trying to be a race car driver meant spending a lot of time away from the family, so it was nice to have some quality time together.

Despite the typical Adelaide summer heat, I still got out on the pushbike and did some training in the hills. I also did quite a lot of running up the Mount Lofty Trail- it is a 4km trail with about 700m of elevation gain- so it was pretty challenging.

Perhaps the highlight of my time in Adelaide was picking up our new family member …another chocolate Labrador puppy named Nelson. Douglas wasn’t sure about his little brother at first, but now they get along extremely well.

So I now have two Labradors roaming the house, spending their days eating, sleeping and wrestling with each other!

I’ve been up in Albury at Brad Jones Racing quite a bit. I spent four or five days there earlier this month getting to know my crew and getting ready for the year. So far I’m loving my time at BJR. Everything that I’ve read about them is true- how Brad and Kim run the team and the way they treat their staff, they don’t think they’re above anyone in the organisation. Everyone puts in 110% to go racing and ensures they have the best possible chance by preparing cars that can win races.

From the 8th of February it’s all systems go again, with commitments with Supercars and the team, and then the official test day on the 21st of Feb at Sydney Motorsport Park.

I’m proud that two of my long-time personal sponsors have renewed this season. Coates Hire and Morris Finance are on board again – both have been with me since 2011. These two companies and the people involved in them have been extremely good to me, and I’m grateful to continue with them into this next chapter.

James Rosenberg’s and Arai Helmets support continues too, and it’s great to welcome a new personal partner in Timken Bearings. Timken share a great passion for motorsport and I am extremely excited to apart of the Timken family.

All in all, it’s been a good break. A good mix of relaxation and looking after a new puppy! (which any dog owner knows is mostly NOT relaxing). I feel refreshed and can’t wait to get back into it. That test day can’t come quick enough!